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Jan Gruber

Night trains: GreenCityTrip drives to Austria and Germany

Jan Gruber April 25, 2022 10:04

The Dutch railway start-up GreenCityTrip plans to launch in Germany from May 25, 2022. Destinations such as Venice, Florence, Bologna, Milan, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Vienna are offered. The train is to have a capacity of 640 beds. Travelers will be able to use the new night trains in the evenings in Cologne, Dortmund and Bad Bentheim from May 25, 2022. Tickets can currently only be booked via the provider's homepage. Some destinations are only available in conjunction with hotel bookings. The lowest price for five-day trips including hotel is to be 199 euros per person. "With this step, we as a travel company are leading the way when it comes to enabling customers to travel even more responsibly. We offer city trips to fantastic European cities, including a hotel at the destination. In addition to arrival and departure by night train, these offers always include an overnight stay in a hotel at the destination. It is also possible to book just a night train ticket. An important advantage for German customers is that all of our city break packages and ticket-only offers are fully financially secured by the Dutch Association of Tour Operators for German customers. This service is included in the price as standard, as are fresh bed linen on every route. Our train waits at the destination, so our customers are guaranteed to be able to travel safely back to Germany at any time," explains Maarten Bastian, co-owner of GreenCityTrip. For the time being, only a few trips are offered from Cologne Central Station to Vienna Central Station. For example, only one date can be booked in July and August 2022. No trips are currently planned for September and October 2022.

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Flixtrain wants to compete with ÖBB and Westbahn

Jan Gruber April 25, 2022 09:31

The Austrian Federal Railways and the Westbahn could face competition between Vienna and Munich from March 30, 2023. Flixtrain has applied to the regulatory authority Schienen Control for the allocation of two daily train path pairs. The trains of the Flixbus sister company are to be routed to Stuttgart on the German side. There are currently two providers on the Austrian Westbahn route. The ÖBB and the private challenger have been in competition for over a decade. The Westbahn has also been running to Munich in Germany since the beginning of this month. Provided Flixtrain actually uses the applied-for train paths, there would be three providers in the future. This would then also mean that the Westbahn and Flixtrain would compete with each other on the section between Vienna and Munich. They are currently cooperating in the area of ​​ticket sales, as tickets for the Westbahn trains can also be purchased via the Flixbus and Flixtrain homepages. It is still completely open whether they will recognize each other's tickets in the event of a competitive situation or whether they will compete with each other. Flixtrain has applied for two daily train pairs. Departures from Vienna Central Station are planned daily at 8:46 a.m. and 14:56 p.m. The destination is Stuttgart, with the trains travelling via Salzburg and Munich. Little is known about the stops in between. The Südwestpresse writes, among other things, that stops will be made in Ulm and Esslingen. The trains departing from Stuttgart will reach Vienna Central Station at 13:14 p.m. and 19:14 p.m. Flixtrain did not want to comment much on the application, which was submitted to the Austrian regulatory authority. It refers to autumn

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After almost ten months: Air Montenegro in its own livery

Jan Gruber April 25, 2022 09:07

In June of last year, the state-owned Air Montenegro presented its first livery, but only now are the two Embraer 195s wearing the livery. Before that, they were completely white. There was obviously no stress about the paint job. On June 10, 2021, Air Montenegro, the successor to Montenegro Airlines, operated its first scheduled flight. Shortly before that, the livery was presented, but until recently the two Embraer 195s were flying in full white. That changed, because now both regional jets wear the design designed by Russian Maksim Arbuzov. Although this had not previously been applied to the aircraft, it caused controversial discussions. It was certainly intended that this should be based on the livery of its predecessor Montenegro Airlines, but the insolvency administrator sees this as a violation of trademark law. The result: One of several lawsuits is dealing with the matter. It should be noted that both Air Montenegro and the insolvent Montenegro Airlines are owned by the state. For example, the insolvency administrator is also suing because uniforms were taken to the successor airline.

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More and more countries without a mask requirement on board and at airports

Jan Gruber April 25, 2022 08:33

Just a few weeks ago, it was clear almost all over the world that you had to wear a face mask in airport terminals and on board aircraft. Only Austria was an exception and continues to insist on FFP2 masks as the only country in the world. But it is no longer so clear whether you have to wear a mask or not. Many countries have already abolished the obligation to wear face masks on board aircraft or in terminals. In Austria, this is not yet the case, as they continue to insist on FFP2 masks, also known as face masks. In Germany, for example, you do not have to wear a face mask inside airports, but you do have to in aircraft cabins. Countries such as Romania, Croatia and the United Kingdom - to name a few examples - have completely abolished the mask requirement. You do not have to cover your mouth and nose either on board or in terminals. More and more countries are doing this, but there are also countries that continue to differentiate between airports and aircraft. The overview below shows the current state of affairs in some selected countries. The illustration is exemplary, does not claim to be complete and is intended only to provide an overview: Country Mask on board Mask at the airport Netherlands No No - only in the security area Great Britain No No Denmark No No Sweden No No Hungary No No Poland No No USA No No Switzerland No No Belgium Yes No Germany Yes No Austria Yes (FFP2) Yes (FFP2) Spain Yes Yes Italy Yes Yes France Yes No Romania No No Finland No No Croatia No No

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Wiener Neustadt: Goldeck launches Brac flights again

Jan Gruber April 24, 2022 10:39

The Austrian airline Goldeck Flug is once again offering flights from Wiener Neustadt (Ost) to Brac in Croatia this year. These will be operated seasonally from the end of April 2022 until October 2022. Formally, these are not scheduled flights, but rather on-demand flights with fixed departure times. These are to be operated on Thursday and Sunday with Pilatus PC-12 NG. The carrier points out that it reserves the right not to carry out individual rotations if there are too few bookings. Goldeck Flug plans to take off from Wiener Neustadt (Ost) at 11:00 a.m. The destination in Croatia is to be reached around 12:30 p.m. The return flights leave Brac at 13:30 p.m. and land in the Lower Austrian city around 15:00 p.m. A maximum of six passengers can be carried per flight. The cheapest return ticket is available from 1.890 euros. There is no classic online booking system. Booking requests can be made via the Goldeck homepage. The company then contacts those interested with an offer. Alternatively, bookings can also be made by telephone. The “Brac Shuttle” is not entirely new, as Goldeck Flug has already had one in the past. In the last two years, flights from Wiener Neustadt were only offered to a limited extent due to the corona pandemic. This year, depending on demand, the company plans to fly up to twice a week throughout the entire season.

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Eurowings Discover with up to 21 aircraft in summer 2022

Jan Gruber April 23, 2022 09:03

The holiday airline Eurowings Discover plans to increase its fleet to 21 aircraft by the end of this year. These will be ten Airbus A320s and eleven A330s that will be operated by the airline itself, a spokeswoman confirmed. During the summer peak season, the Lufthansa subsidiary will operate 18 aircraft. It will operate six Airbus A320s and ten A330s itself. It will also operate two A220-300s from Munich under a wet lease agreement with Air Baltic. "If necessary, up to three Airbus A350s from Finnair will be added," said a spokeswoman. "By the end of the year, Eurowings Discover's own fleet will grow to 21 aircraft as planned." The wet lease of three Finnair A350s is not yet final. The Oneworld member has already planned transfers to Frankfurt and Munich and started selling one-way tickets, but a media representative from Eurowings Discover explains: "We are currently in the final planning phase with Finnair as a possible wet lease partner for this summer. This involves the use of up to three Airbus 350s from Frankfurt and Munich, probably for the period from mid-May to the end of October. The decision and the exact details of the agreement are scheduled for the coming days." When asked whether other carriers will fly on behalf of Eurowings Discover this year, the company replied: "Apart from the agreements with Air Baltic and probably Finnair, no further wet leases are planned for 2022 at this time." It is unclear whether further ex-SunExpress Germany A330s will be added to the fleet While the Airbus A330s with the registrations D-AXGB, D-AXGE and D-AXGE previously operated by SunExpress Germany for Eurowings will be used for the first time.

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Lugano: Silver Air flies to Elba again this year

Jan Gruber April 22, 2022 20:03

Things have been quiet at the Swiss airport in Lugano for some time now, as there have been no regular scheduled flights since the domestic connections to Zurich and Geneva were discontinued. From June 19, 2022, the Czech Silver Air plans to reactivate the seasonal Elba flights. The carrier has been operating island traffic with the Let 410 aircraft for several years. Due to the corona pandemic, the offer has been greatly reduced in the last two years. Within Italy, it serves subsidized PSO routes from Bologna, Florence, Milan-Linate and Pisa to Marina di Campo (Elba). It is currently also the only remaining provider of regular flights to/from Elba. Lugano is the only international destination served by Silver Air from the Italian island. It is currently planned to fly twice a week between June 19 and September 25, 2022. The flight tickets will be offered through the partner Flights and Travel. Elba is to be served from the Ticino airport on Wednesdays and Sundays. In the past, there were also seasonal scheduled flights to the island of Elba from Bern, Zurich, Friedrichshafen, Altenrhein and Munich, among others. These were operated by the now defunct regional airlines SkyWork and InterSky, among others. This year there will be charter flights from Bern again, which will be operated by Swiss Flight Services.

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Vilnius: Heston applies for approval for USA flights

Jan Gruber April 22, 2022 19:06

The Vilnius-based airline Heston Airlines also wants to offer charter flights to the United States of America in the future. A corresponding application was submitted to the USA for the passenger and cargo sectors. An accelerated processing was also requested. An Open Skies agreement has been in place between the European Union and the United States of America for several years. Nevertheless, airlines must apply for formal approval when entering the market. Once this has been granted, flights can be operated between any point in the EU and the USA. A distinction is made between charter and regular scheduled flights. Heston Airlines has also applied to be allowed to make stopovers in the United States. This could be used, for example, for onward flights within the USA, but also to other countries. This would be necessary, for example, for ACMI services from Germany, as Heston Airlines has been considered a possible wet lease partner for a German holiday airline for some time. The company did not want to comment on possible plans. The carrier's fleet currently consists of three Airbus A330-300s and three A320s. The fleet is to be expanded by two more aircraft of the latter type. Heston Airlines is a young airline that only received its AOC and operating license last year.

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Maribor: Wizz Air is said to be demanding large subsidies

Jan Gruber April 22, 2022 12:09

Slovenia wants to bring life back to Maribor Airport and is therefore holding intensive talks with the low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air. The latter carrier is expecting a subsidy of one million euros for starting a flight connection to Skopje. Airport manager Smiljan Kramberger told Radio Maribor that negotiations with the Hungarian low-cost airline are continuing, but that a short-term Wizz Air launch in Maribor is not expected. A few weeks ago, the politicians sounded completely different. The manager told the radio station, among other things, that Wizz Air wants a subsidy of around one million euros for starting a seasonal flight connection between Skopje and Maribor. This appears to be too expensive for Slovenian politicians, which is why they have intensified talks with competitor Ryanair at the same time. Wizz Air has never flown to Maribor Airport, unlike its Irish competitor. Ryanair was briefly present in 2007 and 2008 with a connection to London Stansted. This also put pressure on Graz Airport. Ultimately, the continuation at both airports failed because the low-cost airline demanded ever higher "marketing subsidies". Nevertheless, Ryanair confirmed that it was intensively examining the possibilities for a comeback in Maribor and a possible expansion in Slovenia. Maribor Airport will not be completely without flights in the summer of 2022. Between the end of June and mid-September 2022, charter flights will be offered under the Skyalps brand by Luxwing with de Havilland Dash 8-400. These are

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Balearic offer is ten percent higher than the record year 2019

Jan Gruber April 22, 2022 11:06

Many airlines seem to be pinning their hopes on strong demand for flights to the Balearic Islands this year. Figures from the Spanish airline association ALA show that the offer this year is ten percent higher than the record year of 2019. According to this, around 2022 million seats are on sale for the summer of 44,4. ALA also explains that tourist demand has increased more sharply in the Balearic Islands than in any other Spanish region. At the same time, an urgent appeal is being made to the airports in Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca: They should ensure that the police increase their staff so that there are no excessively long queues at passport controls for passengers arriving and departing from non-Schengen countries. Otherwise, chaos would threaten.

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